Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to incentivise businesses and consumers to participate in demand-side flexibility to reduce the cost of meeting the requirements of the fifth carbon budget.

The Government published the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan in July 2017, which outlined a series of actions to support the transition to a smart energy system, which could save the UK an estimated £17-40 billion up to 2050. The Plan includes measures to increase the participation of industrial and commercial consumers in demand side response (DSR), which focuses on improving access to energy markets and actively supporting National Grid’s changes to ancillary services. The Plan also details policies to enable domestic consumers to participate in DSR, including measures to increase the availability of smart tariffs and on standards for smart appliances, alongside provisions for appropriate consumer protection.